Got a minute? If you're a busy manager, that's about all you have. That's why Carla Cross, management coach, speaker, and author, has created this blog just for you, with ready-to-use tips to master management through people.

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Do you have a coaching program? Are you sure? Coaching, mentoring, and peer coaching terms are used with wild abandon. So, are you offering coaching, mentoring, or peer coaching? What’s the difference? Should agents get a coach–or a mentor? Have you defined those terms? Are you clear with agents as to what they’re getting in each of these categories?A� Before you create a program, be sure you know what the program is and should do for that new or re-energizing agent.

This advice is given to the agent entering the business, but, as a manager, read it as though you are also defining your services.

What Do Those Coaching Choices Mean to the New Agent?

Agents: As youa��re interviewing, you may be offered these things:

An accountability coach (the manager or a professional coach affiliated with that office)A peer coachBecome a team memberBecome an assistant

In this blog, we’ll tackle the pros and cons of getting a coach. In a later blog, we’ll look at mentoring.

What about Getting a Coach?

I hope your manager will become your accountability coach. In fact, a recent survey by Inman Select found that one of the biggest pieces of advice for new agents’ success was to get a coach. But, many managers promise to a�?coach youa��. However, that quickly becomes a a�?got a minutea�� answer man function instead of a focused, linear, goal-oriented action coaching. You dona��t need a coach just for answers. You need a coach to hold you accountable to your goals and action plan.

Choosing a Coach

Here are three important points you should consider as you search for a coach:

The specific program should be highly organized and precisely outA�lined with checklists and systems. Ask, a�?What system are you going to use to coach me?a�? You need a specific game plan, because you are new. You have no history.

The specific program should be related to a a�?game plana�?a��a busiA�ness start-up plan. Ask, a�?What game plan are you going to use?a�?

The coaches should be trained and coached themselves. Ask, a�?Whata��s your coaching background, and what sales principles do you believe in?a�? For example, each of our coaches in the Carla Cross Coaching program has been trained by me and coached regularly by me.

A�Positives: Having a coach keeps you on track, motivated, and, ideA�ally, inspired to reach your goals.

Watch out for: Your coach is trained and dedicated to your success, and is following a proven game plan (otherwise youa��ll be paying just to talk to someone every once in a while).

Managers/coaches: How would you answer the questions above? Do you provide evidence? How competitive are you with your defined programs?

Treat getting a coach or a mentor as an employment issue. Create good questions and interview. Armed with the advice above, you’ll make the right decision for you.

Save Time Interviewing. Help Sort the Serious from the Semi-Pros!

Are you spending hours educating would-be agents on the business? If so, you need this eBook! In 282 pages, Carla Cross provides answers to hundreds of questions agents have. Help your interviewees get the advice they need, find dozens of questions to ask, and use checklists to hit the ground running before they are licensed! Check out What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School.

Managers: Use the checklist on what to do in pre-license school to hit the ground running to ‘test’ your best interviewees and get them prepared to sell real estate FAST when they are licensed.

Is that person who you want to coach–or wants to be coached–really coach able? In my earlier post, I discussed attributes that a potential client must have to be ‘coach able’. Here are two more attributes. Why are these important? So you don’t get into a coaching relationship that is doomed to fail.

At the end of this blog, grab my Coach Ability Evaluator. Use it with potential coaching ‘clients’.

Consideration and Attribute of Potential Client: A�Do You Recognize Mentors or Coaches Who Partnered in your Success?

It is amazing to me how many real estate professionals say they a�?work alonea��. They say they have nothing to do with anyone in their office, and impact no one. (Really? Our actions impact no one? That must mean wea��re pretty insignificanta��) While real estate success is certainly due to onea��s efforts, to think that we are virtual a�?islandsa�� of knowledge and action is not only ludicrousa��ita��s dangerous. Before you fall for that a�?I alone am responsible for my successa��, I have a question:

Who in your life mentored you, coached you, parented you, advised you, encouraged youa��and set you straight when you needed it? How many people can you name? This can be positive or negative, too. We learn as much or more from a bad experience as a good one!

If you truly cana��t name anyone, you dona��t believe that others can help you a�?break through your ceiling of achievementa��. Could that mean YOU dona��t believe you can break througha��..or that you have great fear of a�?being flexiblea��?

Consideration and Attribute of Potential Client: How Accountable Are You Willing to Be?

This is actually the a�?biggiea��. If youa��re not willing to be accountable to your own actionsa��and to your coacha��DONa�?T start a coaching relationship! I know many of you think accountability is a dirty word. Ita��s true that some coaches (sports, music, etc.) have accentuated the down side of accountabilitya��being punitive, negative, criticala��(There are a lot of inept coaches out there.) No wonder people dona��t want to be accountable if they think they will be punished for any wrong action (or inaction). But, thata��s not what Ia��m talking about.A� Ia��m talking about a situation where you make a promise and keep it. In doing the promised action, you are guaranteed to get praisea��and results.

The Natural Reticence to Answer to Anyone

I launched an online training/coaching/accountability results-based program called Up and Running in Real Estate. I essentially put the principles and processes from my best-selling book Up and Running in 30 Days online. But, ita��s now 8 weeks of planned actionsa��my business start- up plan step by step. I built in the parameters I have learned assure the greatest success:

A coaching component

Lots of encouragement

Processes and systems that are a�?self-teachinga��

Guess what many participants do with the program? They do some of the work (they love the multiple choice tests) but dona��t do the business-producing work. By their actions, they are not accountable to themselves or to their coaches. So, of course, they arena��t getting the resultsa��and they cana��t get appreciation and recognitiona��two big drivers to continue the motivation. How unfortunate!

My question to you: What times in your life have you been accountable to actions and to someone elsea��and enjoyed the experience? Are you running away from accountability because you havena��t experienced the a�?upa�� side?

A�So, are you coach able? Is your potential client coach able?

Armed with the answers to the questions in this blog, you can assess whether you will benefit from a coach. And, managers and coaches, you can help your potential client figure out whether she is a good candidate for coaching.

The Coach Ability Evaluator

I have been coached by the a�?best in the business, first as a musician and then as a real estate professional. Ia��ve learned what works. Because of my performance background, the coaching methods we use at Carla Cross Coaching are much different than most. From all these experiences, Ia��ve discovered who is coach able and who is not. Find out more here.

Why not see if Leadership coaching is for you? You’ll get practical strategies to be more profitable and Carla will help you translate everything you do in the Leadership coaching program to working with your agents. Click hereto arrange a Complimentary Consultation.

Do you think you can coach everyone? You may want to think again! At the end of this blog, I’ve included an evaluator to use with your potential ‘clients’ to see if they are actually coaching potentials.

Ia��ve been coached and have been a coach most of my life (first music, then real estate). But, I dona��t believe that all people can benefit from coaching. Most managers and coaches will tell you everyone needs a coach. After all, no great performers move past their a�?ceilings of achievementa�� without a coach. I certainly know that as a pianist.

But, not everyone can benefit from a coach. Why? Because some people arena��t very a�?coach ablea��. Another way to say it is that they arena��t ready to be coached. So, before you waste your money on coaching (yes, Ia��m willing to say it!), leta��s explore what it takes to benefit from coaching.

What It Takes to be Coach able

There are 15 questions on the coach ability evaluator. But, in this blog and the next are 3 attributes I believe you need if you are to get the very most from any coaching experience.

A�How Strong is your a�?Whya��?

Why do you want to be coached? How motivated are you to break through your a�?ceiling of achievementa��? Why is that important? Because your coach cana��t provide you with the all the a�?fire in the bellya�� youa��ll need to keep on keeping on (although many coaching clients expect their coach to find a motivation thata��s not therea��..).

A�How the Motivation Works

Leta��s look at how motivation works. First, you have an unrealized discontent. Maybe you have been schlepping along at 5, 10, or maybe even 30 transactions a year. But, at some level, you realize you are working way beneath your potential (step #1). So, you start looking at others who started in the business about the same time as you (#2). You see they are attaining more results faster. Then, you start looking around for a coach (#3). You take a big breath, take out your checkbook, and start working with a coach (#4). Ita��s not easy. It means doing things you have avoided doing, changing beliefs, expanding your horizonsa��and just plain working hard. A�But, ita��s worth it, because youa��re seeing results (#5).

I just took myself through the motivational cycle. For years, Ia��ve tried to lose weight. But, I just didna��t have that a�?fire in the bellya��. For some strange reason, this time, though, I found it! In February, I paid lots of money to a weight-loss program (yes, I believe that if you have appreciable a�?skin in the gamea�� youa��re more likely to stick with it). At the same time I hired a personal trainer. Talk about baptism by fire! But, the combination of my own motivation and the environment that IA�A�A�A�A� placed myself in has attributed to my continued motivationa��and Ia��ve lost 40 pounds (and have about 15 to go, but, ita��s kind of a piece of cake (woops) now.

My question to you:A� How motivated are you? Is the environment you are in motivating to you? Challenging? Encouraging?

Want to see if your potential ‘clients’ will be good coaching clients? Click here to grab my Coach Ability evaluator. A�In my next post, we’ll explore 2 more big determinants of coach ability.

What have you found determines coach ability? When have you been wrong about the coaching potential of one of your agents? How can we avoid that?

How would you rate your on boarding program for your new agents? I mean

1. your initial orientation procedure (do you have one)

2. A coach or mentor to work with that new agent from day 1

3. A start-up plan initiated from week 2

4. A training program to support the start-up plan–starts in their week 2

Go through each of these and rate yourself. Interestingly, few companies even have a complete on boarding program.Instead, they have a checklist that they go through with the new agent. Then, they explain that training will start in 4 weeks. Woops! My studies show that the majority of new agents expect a SALE within 4 weeks! So, if they’re not lead generating from week 2, how in the world will they get that early success?

The most important part of the on boarding process is the start-up plan. Do you have one? What’s your ‘bottom line’ for anA�ideal start-up plan for a new agent? Many managers tell me they don’t want to hire new agents because they’re too much work–and, too many of them fail. True. Yet, on the other hand, managers find it difficult to recruit seasoned agents who fit their profile, culture, and standards. One answer to this dilemma is to develop a start-up program for new agents that avoids the pitfalls associated with hiring new agents.

The Ideal Porgram Should Assure…

1. The new agent will succeed–fast (not this normal 50% failure rate!)

2. The new agent is directed by the start-up program–not a situation where the manager has to re-invent the wheel with every new agent

3. The manager doesn’t have to invest hundreds of hours in a new agent–only to find that agent fails

4. There’s direction from a ‘trusted advisor’–an outside coach, to save the manager’s time

5. There’s coordination and interaction between the ‘trusted advisor coach’ and the manager, so the manager isn’t left out of the loop

6. The new agent is challenged by meaningful activities leading to a sale, not just unprioritized busy work

What other goals should your ideal program provide you?

RefiningA�My Start-Up Plan

I’m doing the fifthA�edition of my best-selling start-up plan for new agents, Up and Running in 30 Days. I want to assure that it fulfills all the goals above–and the goals you have for me. A�Want to give me some feedback? Here’s aA�manager or owner questionnaireA�for you. Get it back to me by May 20, 2016. If I can, I’ll include you in quotes in the new edition, out in early 2017. And, of course, you’ll receive a complimentary copy of the fifth edition!

What are new agents doing that causes them to fail? What do you want in a start-up program that will help more of your new agents do well–and do it fast? What’s missing in the training and coaching programs you’ve been using?

I’m editing Up and Running in 30 Days for the 5th edition, due to be out in early 2017. As you probably know, Up and Running in 30 Days is literally the new agent’s start-up plan. In it, I show the what, how, why, and how much of real estate activities needed to do well quickly. Up and Running is very specific, and is easy to use to coach new agents to productivity fast.

Asking New Agents for their Advice

I’m in the midst right now of asking 1-3 year successful agents for their advice for the new agent. I will use these quotes throughout the book, to reinforce the start-up plan principles. If you have a successful 1-3 year agent that you’d like featured, you can forward my questionnaire here.

What’s Your Advice?

As one of the new features of the 5th edition, I’m incorporating great managers’ advice to new agents. Here’s what I’m asking:

What do new successful agents do consistently that agents who fail don’t do?

What common mistakes do new agents make that cost them time, money–and hinder their success?

Would you advise a new agent to (why or why not)

–join a team

–have a mentor

–hire a professional coach

What should a new agent look for in a training program?

Other advice you provide to a new agent?

Your name:

Company name:

Number of agents in your office:

Number of agents you’ve hired that have completed at least 10 transactions their first year in the business:

How to Get your Advice to Me

If you’d like to write a comment to this post with answers to these questions, your comments will be relayed to me. If I’m able to use them in my book, you will receive a complimentary copy of Up and Running AND lots of PR–to help you in your recruiting as an expert in helping new agents.

Or, if you’d like to complete the questionnaire and email it to me, Here is the questionnaire. Just complete it and email it to carla@carlacross.com. You will be assisting thousands of new agents as they begin their careers, and, I think you’ll find that being published will help your ‘street cred’ with those you want to hire!

Comments: Do you have advice to me about what’s missing in training and coaching programs? Just put that in comments here. Thank you!

Do you know what your new agents thought of your ‘start’ program? That is, your orientation, mentors, training, and coaching in their first 6 months in the business? Most brokers have some type of what I call a ‘career development’ program. But, hardly anyone ever asks the 6-month agent what they thought of it? If you don’t know, as a broker, how can you keep improving it?

The Secret to Retention: The First Month in the Business is Critical to Success

I just read an excellent booklet on the importance of a spectacular orientation system to the retention of ‘workers’. It stated that studies showed that people who experienced a very strong orientation process were retained for the long haul. And, those that didn’t have a good orientation process were quickly gone. Did you ever think about how you impact that agent in the first month? The first three months? The first six months?

Time to Polish your Orientation/Career Development System

I’m working on the 5th (!) edition of Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s start-up plan, and I’m updating technologies, trends,and statistics. In addition, I want to include advice to new agents from successful agents who’ve been in the business 1-3 years. Why? Because this advice will be pertinent, up to date, and I think new agents will listen to someone who’s been there–and succeeded. It occurred to me that you can ask the same questions to your 6 months to 12 month agents to get feedback to polish your orientation/career development system. Below are the questions.

I Need Your Help

Do you have an agent in the business 1-3 years, and did at least 15 transactions their first year (not given to them as a team member)? If so, your agent could be featured in my new edition, due out in January 2017. A�I will be featuring 5-7 quotes in various places of my book, and it would be great PR for your agent (and you). Your agent will receive a copy of the 5th edition, of course.

Here are the questions I’m asking:

What are 1-3 things you did as a new agent to successfully launch your career?

What do you wish you had done differently?

What advice would you give to new agents?

What technology is absolutely critical for the new agents to incorporate? Why?

5. What specific orientation start-up procedures were most helpful to you? What do you wish you had (actions, training, coaching, etc.) in your first 3 months that would have increased your quick success?

Other comments:

Thanks so much. Please include your name as you want it used, your company name, your email and phone (for contact information so you can get referrals).

Name:

Company:

Phone:

Email:

Specialties:

Number of transactions completed your first year in the business:

Please return this to me by 4.30 so I can include it! Thanks again. Let me know how/if I can help you! You’re doing a great service to those going into the business!

Getting Back to Me

You can forward this to your agent (s) and your agent can write answers as comments. Or,A�here’s the link to the questionnaire. A�Just forward the link to your agent.

In my next blog, I’ll be asking you for your advice to new agents. I’m going to add this to the new edition. It should be very telling, and interesting to see the commonalities of managers’ advice to new agents.

Here’s the link again to the questionnaire. Your agent’s advice will help the industry and certainly help determined new agents!

Let me know what you discovered when you used that questionnaire to polish your orientation/career development program.

What’s your advice for new agents? I’m editing Up and Running in 30 Days for the 5th edition, due to be out in early 2017. As you probably know, Up and Running in 30 Days is literally the new agent’s start-up plan. In it, I show the what, how, why, and how much of real estate activities needed to do well quickly. Up and Running is very specific, and is easy to use to coach new agents to productivity fast.

Asking New Agents for their Advice

I’m in the midst right now of asking 1-3 year successful agents for their advice for the new agent. I will use these quotes throughout the book, to reinforce the start-up plan principles. If you have a successful 1-3 year agent that you’d like featured, you can forward my questionnaire here.

What’s Your Advice?

As one of the new features of the 5th edition, I’m incorporating great managers’ advice to new agents. Here’s what I’m asking:

What do new successful agents do consistently that agents who fail don’t do?

What common mistakes do new agents make that cost them time, money–and hinder their success?

Would you advise a new agent to (why or why not)

–join a team

–have a mentor

–hire a professional coach

What should a new agent look for in a training program?

Other advice you provide to a new agent?

Your name:

Company name:

Number of agents in your office:

Number of agents you’ve hired that have completed at least 10 transactions their first year in the business:

How to Get your Advice to Me

If you’d like to write a comment to this post with answers to these questions, your comments will be relayed to me. If I’m able to use them in my book, you will receive a complimentary copy of Up and Running AND lots of PR–to help you in your recruiting as an expert in helping new agents.

Or, if you’d like to complete the questionnaire and email it to me, Here is the questionnaire. Just complete it and email it to carla@carlacross.com. You will be assisting thousands of new agents as they begin their careers, and, I think you’ll find that being published will help your ‘street cred’ with those you want to hire!

What’s your advice to new agents? I’m working on the 5th (!) edition of Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s start-up plan, and I’m updating technologies, trends,and statistics. In addition, I want to include advice to new agents from successful agents who’ve been in the business 1-3 years. Why? Because this advice will be pertinent, up to date, and I think new agents will listen to someone who’s been there–and succeeded.

I Need Your Help

Do you have an agent in the business 1-3 years, and did at least 15 transactions their first year (not given to them as a team member)? If so, your agent could be featured in my new edition, due out in January 2017. A�I will be featuring 5-7 quotes in various places of my book, and it would be great PR for your agent (and you). Your agent will receive a copy of the 5th edition, of course.

Here are the questions I’m asking:

What are 1-3 things you did as a new agent to successfully launch your career?

What do you wish you had done differently?

What advice would you give to new agents?

What technology is absolutely critical for the new agents to incorporate? Why?

Other comments:

Thanks so much. Please include your name as you want it used, your company name, your email and phone (for contact information so you can get referrals).

Name:

Company:

Phone:

Email:

Specialties:

Number of transactions completed your first year in the business:

Please return this to me by 4.30 so I can include it! Thanks again. Let me know how/if I can help you! You’re doing a great service to those going into the business!

Getting Back to Me

You can forward this to your agent (s) and your agent can write answers as comments. Or,A�here’s the link to the questionnaire. A�Just forward the link to your agent.

In my next blog, I’ll be asking you for your advice to new agents. I’m going to add this to the new edition. It should be very telling, and interesting to see the commonalities of managers’ advice to new agents.

Here’s the link again to the questionnaire. Your agent’s advice will help the industry and certainly help determined new agents!

We’re familiar with ‘fans’ on Facebook (see myA�Carla Cross & Co. on Facebook.A�)A�But, how do we gain’fans’? It’s one thing if you’re a performer. You may think it’s another thing if you’re a manager. It occurred to me that the words “followers” (Twitter) and “fans” (Facebook) are borrowed from the performance world–a world I lived in for many years. I thought you’d like to get some skills in creating ‘fans’ or ‘followers’–not just how to use these programs, but, more importantly, how to create FF’s–admirers.

What’s ‘Admirable’?

If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably involved somehow in managing people (that includes managing families, too!). So, it would be helpful to know how to create admirers–in the best sense of the word. Why? Admirers do several things for you (and you must do several things for them, of course):

They refer others to you with enthusiasmThey provide ‘positive grapevine’ promotion for youThey help you discover strengths you may not have known you have (think branding)They see the best in you when you’re sometimes not seeing it in yourself!

What You Need to Do to Create ‘Admirers’

I worked my way through college and graduate school playing piano in bars (I sure learned a lot about human nature!). As a musician, I learned, to have admirers, I had to do 2 things:
1. Play the music they wanted to hear
2. Play the music they wanted to hear the way they wanted to hear it

To do this, I learned literally thousands of tunes and dozens of styles. Now, I was set to gain followers/admirers (and tips, of course!. In other words, you have to make yourself someone that can be admired (when did you take your last true ‘people management’ course?)

What does that mean to you as a manager? You have to figure out the needs that they want filled, and fill them the way they want them filled.

Appreciation: The best Tool to Gain Admirers

There are many ways to gain ‘followers’. The easiest is to lavishly use appreciation. How often do you appreciate? Probably not as often as you could. This is one of the most effective, low-cost, and happy methods to motivate and gain admirers you can imagine. Yet, few managers use this effectively (and I mean to be sincere about it, of course). I’ve created a white paper on the principles of motivation, along with over 25 ways to appreciate. Click here to get your copy.

How do you create fans? Do you think they’re important to you?

Are You Achieving What You Know You Can?

You encourage your agents to get coaching. Or, perhaps you coach them. You know how important having someone ‘see you from the outside’ is. But, how about you? Are you going it alone? I know, from managing so many years, it’s a lot lonelier world than being an agent. Who do you bounce ideas off? Who do you trust as your mentor? Check out Leadership Mastery coaching today.

Click hereto schedule a complimentary consultation to find out more about the program, ask questions, and see if ita��s a a�?matcha��. After your consultation, youa��ll receive a a�?thank youa�� of a 2-pack management audio CD series.

But, A�most brokers dona��t realize they are doing irreparable damage to their companies by hiring those who arena��t going to go right to worka��and keeping those who wona��t work. Here are the 3 biggest consequences to poor selection I see.

1. Stops you from hiring great producers. Likes attract. How can brokers hope to hire that great producer when they have more than 10% of their office as non-producers? I can see it now. a�?Sure, Ia��ll come to your office. Ia��m a top producer, and I just love to be dragged down by those non-producers. It will be my pleasure to waste my time with them.a�? Not.

2. Kills your recruiting message.
Do you have a training program? Do you use it to recruit? Herea��s the real message: a�?We have a training program. All our new agents go through it. We dona��t get any results from the program, so it really doesna��t work. But, join us.a�? You cana��t possibly show how successful your training program makes your agents because your training program cana��t possibly get resultsa��poor people in and no actions and accountability required.

3. De-motivates your agents to provide referrals to you.
Your outcomes and hiring practices speak more loudly than you could possible speak. Why would one of your good agents possibly refer someone to you when your good agent doesna��t see those you hired starting right out and making money fast?

If Your Market’s on Fire, You May be Kidding Yourself
In a fast market, a�?accidental salesa�� buoy poor agents and make them look as though they were actually selling enough real estate to be a a�?mediana�� agent. But, be aware: When the market turns, so do the agentsa�� a�?miragea�� of decent production. So, it’s best toA�hire with purpose (using a stringent, professional interview process). Then, A�put agents right to work with a proven start-up plan.

Please Tell Me What You Think
What do you think a non-productive agent costs the company? In my next blog, Ia��ll give you some line items that will probably double what you think a bad hire costs. Leta��s see what you think first. Poor hiring practices really, really hurts brokersa��both financially and emotionally.

Are You Hitting your Ceiling of Achievement?

You encourage your agents to get coaching. Or, perhaps you coach them. You know how important having someone ‘see you from the outside’ is. But, how about you? Are you going it alone? I know, from managing so many years, it’s a lot lonelier world than being an agent. Who do you bounce ideas off? Who do you trust as your mentor? Check out Leadership Mastery coaching today.

Click hereto schedule a complimentary consultation to find out more about the program, ask questions, and see if ita��s a a�?matcha��. After your consultation, youa��ll receive a a�?thank youa�� of a 2-pack management audio CD series.